When She Cries
by KJtheELMtree
Summary: Songfic to "When she Cries," by Britt Nicole. I wrote this before MoA, so some stuff is messed up. T for self-harm. Percabeth reunion. I NO OWN.


**I DO NOT OWN BRITT NICOLE.**

**-Beth M**

~LINE BREAK OF AWESOMENESS~

December 17, 2010

Annabeth was scared.

_ Little girl terrified _

_ She'd leave her room if only bruises would heal _

And the reason she was scared was named Percy Jackson.

_ A home is no place to hide _

Percy had been missing for two days. Camp Half-Blood wasn't its usual respite from the pain of her life; instead, it was just a reminder.

_ Her heart is breaking from the pain that she feels _

Two days. Annabeth was worried sick. Who knew what had happened to him? He'd been here one night and in the morning he was gone, without a note, without an explanation, without a goodbye.

_ Every day's _

_ The same _

_ She fights _

_ To find her way _

_ She hurts _

_ She breaks _

_ She hides _

_ And tries to pray _

_ She wonders why _

_ Does anyone ever hear her when she cries? _

February 11, 2011

_ Today she's turning sixteen _

_ Everyone's singing but she can't seem to smile _

Her sixteenth birthday. The entire camp had celebrated, those who hadn't gone home for school, since she'd been a fixture for almost a decade.

Kids could sleep in as long as they wanted to, and they got to pick their own activities instead of whatever the head counselor chose. Dinner had culminated in a toast to her, with Chiron asking her to stand up and take a bow, which she did, embarrassed. Afterwards, the dining pavilion was converted into a dance floor- how they managed to move the tables, Annabeth figured she would never know, except that it had something to do with Hecate cabin.

"Come on, Annabeth!" Jason said, tugging her arm. "Let's dance! The party's for you, after all!"

Annabeth politely refused; dancing with Jason, the other side of the "exchange," seemed like a betrayal to Percy.

Throughout the night, people asked her to dance, but she said no every time. She just sat there, missing Percy, until the party ended.

As the entire camp went to bed, not one person realized that throughout it all, Annabeth had never once smiled.

_ They never get past arm's length _

_ How could they act like everything is all right? _

And she hadn't. How could she be happy, when her boyfriend was missing and they had no way of knowing he was still alive?

When Percy disappeared, it was Beckendorf all over again: the anchor had been cut, and every camper was drifting on their own.

_Percy slid in next to her in Paul's car. Paul was driving them to Camp Half-Blood, so Percy and Annabeth were attempting to give him directions in between catching up and fits of giggling. _

_As soon as they got to camp, Percy disappeared into Cabin Three to unpack while Annabeth went to find Chiron. _

"_I just have this feeling something's about to happen," she told him, then related her premonition. Chiron's tail swished. "Indeed. Well, your fears aren't unfounded. Olympus has gone silent."_

_Annabeth gaped at him. _

"_It is true. Our own director, Dionysus, was recalled to Mt. Olympus hardly a month ago." Chiron smirked. "In fact, he left us that as a good-bye present. He has an- _odd_- sense of humor." _

_Annabeth stared at the stuffed leopard head mounted on the wall. It snarled, making her practically jump out of her skin. "It-it's alive?" she yelped. _

_Chiron nodded. "Yes. As I've said, Mr. D has a rather odd sense of humor." _

_Annabeth had the rest of the afternoon to ponder this news, while her own sense of doom got heavier and heavier. Dinner was normal, however, and so was the sing-a-long down at the arena. _

_After it was over, Percy snuck up on her and kissed the top of her head. She spun around, ready to punch him. When she saw who it was, it transformed into a hug. _

_They had a make-out session in front of the entire camp, broken only when Nyssa from Hephaestus yelled, "Oi! There are small children afoot!" _

_Percy laughed and kissed her again. "See you tomorrow, Wise Girl." _

"_See you tomorrow, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth answered, though she had a sinking feeling she wouldn't. _

_She didn't know how right she was. _

_The next morning, sunlight hitting her in the eyes woke her up. After she got dressed, she knocked on the door of Cabin Three to get Percy up- he was infamous for sleeping late, even when he was still stuck in Hermes. _

_No one answered. _

_Annabeth cracked the door open. "Percy?" _

_Still no answer. _

_She stepped inside. Percy's shield hung on the wall next to the Minotaur horn. Clothes were scattered all over the floor. His duffel bag sat by the biggest pile. Tyson's bed was slightly rumpled, Percy's completely unmade. _

_Except he wasn't in it. _

_She searched the cabin, expecting a voice from behind her asking what she was doing. _

_It never came. _

_She ran down to the Big House, colliding into Chiron on his way out. "Percy's missing! He's not in his cabin, the arena's empty, he wouldn't be in the forest and I haven't checked the beach!" _

"_Slow down, little one," Chiron said, calming her. She repeated herself. "We have to tell everyone!" _

_Chiron called a meeting, opening it with, "Percy Jackson has gone missing." _

June 25, 2011

Now they were on the _Argo II_. Annabeth sat in the cabin she shared with thirty other kids. Right now, amazingly, it was empty.

Annabeth held out her arms, examining them. They were covered in scars. That one was from the fight on Half-Blood Hill. That one came from Circe's Island. Many came from the Titan War; others, the days she ran with Thalia and Luke, the only family she thought she'd ever need.

The memories flooded back, almost as painful as when they were created. Annabeth jerked down her sleeves.

_ Pulling down her long sleeves _

_ To cover all the memories the scars leave _

Remembering why she'd pulled them up in the first place, Annabeth inched the right one up.

And on her right forearm, there were several long, straight lines.

She dug around in her backpack to find her dagger. Pulling it out, she held it to her arm, right below the newest mark.

Then she flicked it expertly.

She barely managed not to yelp as pain shot up her arm. Cradling her elbow in her left hand, she fumbled to shove the dagger back into her bag before someone walked in.

Blood dripped onto the floor. Annabeth relaxed as the pain dulled. It seemed that no matter how many times she did it, she would never get used to it.

The newly formed scar started to pucker up. Annabeth winced. This was her least favorite part of the process. It just felt like a reminder of her weaknesses- like it was saying she'd given in.

_ She says _

_ Maybe making me bleed _

_ Would be the answer that can wash the slate clean _

The wound kept bleeding. Annabeth found a strip of cloth for a bandage. It felt funny under her elbow.

Without warning she burst into tears. Everyone who ever felt like family to her was gone- one dead, one immortal, one vanished. Even with her father and stepmother, they could still feel the old arguments and neglect left over from years before.

Not a day went by that she didn't remember.

_ Every day's the same _

_ She fights to find her way _

_ She hurts _

_ She breaks _

_ She hides _

_ And tries to pray _

_ She wonders why _

_ Does anyone ever hear her when she cries? _

Leo yelled over the intercom, "Two minutes!" Forgetting her self-inflicted cut that now bulged against the makeshift bandage, she rushed outside to watch the land zoom past.

Finding a place at the railing, she squeezed in. The white cloth tore slightly on a rough patch of wood.

Her heart began fluttering as a crowd came into view. She ran over to the place they had the gangplank put up to find Jason lounging beside it. "Hey," he said over his shoulder when he saw her. "Care to join me?"

"Sure, why not," she replied.

Annabeth hissed her next inhalation. She'd just caught sight of a familiar messy black head.

Soon it would all be over. She would be back in her Seaweed Brain's arms.

_ This is the dark _

_ Before the dawn _

_ The storm before the peace _

_ Don't be afraid _

_ Cause seasons change _

_ And God is watching over you _

_ He hears you _

Finally they came to a stop, the gangplank lowered, Jason walked down and was immediately mobbed.

Unable to contain herself, Annabeth screamed, "Percy!" and started running, straight into his arms.

He automatically leaned into her. "Safe," she whispered. Then she drew back and actually looked at him.

He was taller, his hair longer, and as for his choice of attire…

"A toga and cape? Really?"

**A/N: There's a little box a few millimeters away… It wants you to click on it… It's crying, "Click on me! Click on me!"**

**-Beth M**


End file.
